Written Answers Wednesday 1 August 2007

Scottish Executive

Concessionary Travel

Irene Oldfather (Cunninghame South) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how it intends to ensure that people under the age of 60 who are registered deaf and in receipt of a concessionary travel card do not temporarily lose their right to free travel if their existing card expires while they await an audiologist report to confirm their disability in order to qualify for a replacement card.

Stewart Stevenson: The onus is on the applicant to ensure that they obtain the appropriate supporting documentary evidence well in advance of their national entitlement card expiring.

  As an alternative to the audiologist report an applicant can submit a letter from a hospital consultant or provide written confirmation of registration as profoundly or severely deaf with a Society for the Deaf. Any written evidence must state that the applicant suffers from bilateral hearing loss greater than 70bdHL averaged over 1, 2 and 4 kHz.

Concessionary Travel

Irene Oldfather (Cunninghame South) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how much notice it recommends that local travel authorities give disabled concessionary travel card holders under the age of 60 of when their cards are due for renewal.

Stewart Stevenson: Transport Scotland has suggested that 4-6 weeks prior to the national entitlement card expiring, local authorities, or their agents, should contact the card holder to explain the renewal process. However, the decision to contact cardholders lies with the local authority.

Concessionary Travel

Irene Oldfather (Cunninghame South) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it has taken to ensure that NHS boards are aware of the requirement for consultants to verify their patients’ disability in order that they meet the criteria for renewing their concessionary travel cards and whether any action has been taken to encourage consultants to provide such information as quickly as possible to avoid situations whereby patients temporarily lose the right to free travel if their card expires while they await a consultant’s report.

Stewart Stevenson: None. The onus is on the applicant to ensure that they obtain the appropriate supporting documentary evidence well in advance of their national entitlement card expiring.

Concessionary Travel

Irene Oldfather (Cunninghame South) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will consider introducing an interim concessionary travel card arrangement for disabled travel card holders under the age of 60 who are awaiting a consultant’s report to confirm their disability when their existing cards expire.

Stewart Stevenson: There are no plan to introduce an interim national entitlement card.

Dentistry

Tom McCabe (Hamilton South) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to improve access to NHS dentists in (a) Hamilton, (b) Blantyre and (c) Burnbank.

Shona Robison: The responsibility for the overall provision of NHS dental services in these areas rests with NHS Lanarkshire. A recent survey of access to NHS general dental services by NHS Lanarkshire shows that seven general dental practitioners in Hamilton, including Burnbank, and three in Blantyre have indicated their ability to accept new NHS patients onto their lists.

  NHS Lanarkshire has plans for a new Dental Resource Centre in Hamilton.

  From 1 April 2007 responsibility for considering and approving Scottish Dental Access Initiative grants has been devolved to NHS boards. The scheme has also been expanded to provide for the purchase or relocation of existing NHS dental practices in order to maintain access to NHS general dental services and to include specialist orthodontic practices. The financial assistance available under the scheme has also been revised.

Education

Karen Whitefield (Airdrie and Shotts) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how much of the £40 million for new school building, announced by the Cabinet Secretary for Education and Lifelong Learning on 20 June 2007 ( Official Report c. 882), will be received by each local authority.

Fiona Hyslop: The information requested is in the following table. The distribution amongst authorities is linked to our commitment to reduce class sizes in P1-P3. Therefore, 95% of the distribution of the additional resources has been based on primary school occupancy rates, with a weighting of 30:70 applied to the number of primary schools which fall within the occupancy categories 75-90% and 90%+ respectively. The remaining 5% of the allocation reflects our focus on areas of deprivation in the context of class size reduction.

  Schools Fund Capital Grant 2007-08 – Additional Allocation

  

Local Authority
Share of additional £40m


£m


Aberdeen
0.687


Aberdeenshire
3.565


Angus
1.172


Argyll and Bute
0.780


Clackmannanshire
0.426


Dumfries and Galloway
3.607


Dundee
0.536


East Ayrshire
0.668


East Dunbartonshire
0.573


East Lothian
1.008


East Renfrewshire
0.883


Edinburgh, City of
2.345


Eileen Siar
0.064


Falkirk
0.627


Fife
3.306


Glasgow
2.174


Highland
1.714


Inverclyde
0.407


Midlothian
0.524


Moray
0.567


North Ayrshire
0.924


North Lanarkshire
3.468


Orkney
0.025


Perth and Kinross
2.094


Renfrewshire
0.930


Scottish Borders
1.237


Shetland
0.535


South Ayrshire
0.593


South Lanarkshire
0.949


Stirling
0.902


West Dunbartonshire
0.378


West Lothian
2.329


Total
40.000

Enterprise

John Lamont (Roxburgh and Berwickshire) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive why Scottish Enterprise business grants are not available for people aged 31 and over.

Jim Mather: The Business Start-up Grant scheme for 18-30 age group followed an extensive period of analysis which indicated that funding restraints can be a particular problem for young people.

  The start-up grant is only one form of assistance which can be accessed by individuals looking to set up in business. Business Gateway staff can advise on a range of financial support that may be available, for example in the form of equity or loans. Such support is not automatic and will depend upon the nature of the business and the viability of the business proposal and whether that meets the criteria of the relevant financial programme.

Enterprise

John Wilson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it intends to commence clawback arrangements in respect of the £3 million regional selective assistance grant that was awarded to Freescale Semiconductor for its East Kilbride plant.

Jim Mather: None of this grant has been paid.

Enterprise

Derek Brownlee (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it considers it an appropriate use of public funds to award Morgan Stanley a grant worth £6 million under the regional selective assistance scheme, in light of the company’s net income.

Jim Mather: Yes. In the absence of tax powers, regional selective assistance can be used to support businesses of all sizes provided projects satisfy the criteria of the scheme. The criteria include demonstrating the need for assistance to make the project happen in an assisted area rather than elsewhere or not at all. An increasing number of companies, particularly those with a variety of existing overseas facilities, have a credible choice of location for their projects. In such cases we carefully consider the arguments used and satisfy ourselves that there are indeed genuine alternative locations.

Enterprise

Derek Brownlee (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what the criteria are for refusing grants to companies under the regional selective assistance scheme if jobs are likely to be created regardless of the awarding of any such grant.

Jim Mather: The purpose of regional selective assistance (RSA) is to support viable projects that will strengthen the employment base but might not, without support, take place within the assisted areas of Scotland, those areas designated for regional aid under European Community law.

  All companies when applying for RSA have to meet the scheme criteria before grant is offered. Criteria include viability, economic efficiency and the demonstration of the need for grant. Need for assistance can be demonstrated in a number of ways including filling a funding gap, return on investment, risk reduction and choice of location.

  RSA will not be offered if we believe a project would proceed in an Assisted Area regardless of our involvement.

Housing

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how many applications under the national registration scheme for private landlords have been rejected on the basis of offences involving (a) fraud, (b) violence or (c) drugs.

Stewart Maxwell: In determining whether an applicant is a fit and proper person to be registered as a landlord, local authorities are expected to make a balanced judgement on the basis of all the information available. Local authorities are currently giving due consideration to such information as they process applications. We are not aware that any applications have been rejected yet.

Housing

Bill Wilson (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many wheelchair-accessible and barrier-free homes have been built by housing associations in each of the last five years.

Stewart Maxwell: The concept of "barrier free" housing is now covered by Housing for Varying Needs standard. The number of homes built by housing associations which meet Housing for Varying Needs standards for which we have approved grant funding over the last five years is as follows:

  

Year
Number


2002-03
3,492


2003-04
3,305


2004-05
3,340


2005-06
4,803


2006-07
4,684



  The number of wheelchair homes built by housing associations for which we have approved grant over the same period is as follows:

  

Year
Number


2002-03
174


2003-04
151


2004-05
101


2005-06
191


2006-07
194

Housing

Elaine Murray (Dumfries) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-1475 by Nicola Sturgeon on 16 July 2007, how much funding was made available to Dumfries and Galloway Council from 2004 to 2007 to support the development of a common housing register.

Stewart Maxwell: Dumfries and Galloway Council received an allocation of £100,000 to support development on a common housing register (CHR) as part of the CHR Development Programme 2004-06. At the end of 2006-07, £30,000 remained unclaimed and, exceptionally, this has been made available to the Council during 2007-08.

Housing

Elaine Murray (Dumfries) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-1473 by Nicola Sturgeon on 16 July 2007, which local authorities are not expected to have an operational common housing register by the end of 2007-08.

Stewart Maxwell: The following local authorities do not expect to have an operational common housing register (CHR) by the end of 2007-08: Clackmannanshire, Dumfries and Galloway, Dundee, East Ayrshire, East Lothian, Falkirk, South Ayrshire, South Lanarkshire, Stirling and West Dunbartonshire.

  A CHR is not being developed in Eilean Siar.

Housing

Elaine Murray (Dumfries) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive by what date it expects all local authorities to have an operational common housing register.

Stewart Maxwell: There is no fixed deadline for all local authorities to have an operational common housing register. The need to use the powers provided in section 8 of the Housing (Scotland) Act 2001 for Scottish Ministers to require the establishment of common housing registers is kept under review.

Housing

Jamie Hepburn (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many homes have been socially let and available to let by (a) local authorities and (b) housing associations in each year since 1980.

Stewart Maxwell: The numbers of local authority and housing association lettings are provided in table 1, along with their respective total normal letting stock at March of each year. The normal letting stock includes both vacant and occupied dwellings.

  Consistent, centrally held information is not available prior to 1999-2000. However lettings information for local authority dwellings is available from Housing Revenue Account (HRA) returns for the period 1984-85 to 1998-99. This information is provided in table 2.

  Table 1: Local Authority and Housing Association Lettings and Letting Stock

  

Year
Local Authority Lettings
Housing Association Lettings


Permanent Lettings Made
Normal Letting Stock
Permanent Lettings Made
Normal Letting Stock


1999-2000
 
544,345
18,397
128,908


2000-01
 
531,135
21,040
135,661


2001-02
53,187
509,656
22,427
137,335


2002-03
52,535
493,806
22,878
148,391


2003-04
39,136
368,171
30,544
245,726


2004-05
33,883
353,183
29,299
246,515


2005-06
31,894
343,877
28,346
245,229



  Source: lettings and stock1 returns provided by local authorities to the Scottish Executive, housing association data provided by Communities Scotland through the Annual Performance and Statistical Returns.

  Notes:

  1. Data is not available for local authority lettings in 1999-2000 and 2000-01. Prior to 1999-2000, local authority lettings data was obtained from Housing Revenue Account returns to the Scottish Executive Development Department: Housing 1. This return was discontinued after 1999-2000 to be replaced with a new form (LETTINGS) collecting information from 2001-02 onwards.

  2. In 2003, large scale stock transfers of council housing to housing associations took place in Dumfries and Galloway, Glasgow and Scottish Borders. These are included in the housing association data from 2003-04 onwards.

  3. Lettings figures include estimates where data not available.

  Table 2: Local Authority Lettings, 1984-85 to 1998-99

  

Year
Local Authority Lettings


1984-85
70,701


1985-86
69,688


1986-87
74,781


1987-88
77,217


1988-89
79,024


1989-90
74,842


1990-91
76,316


1991-92
70,612


1992-93
66,939


1993-94
65,344


1994-95
63,955


1995-96
63,113


1996-97
67,973


1997-98
67,918


1998-99
66,365



  Source: Housing Revenue Account (HRA) returns by local authorities to the Scottish Executive.

  Note: figures include estimates where incomplete information was provided

Housing

Jamie Hepburn (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how much has been raised through the sale of council houses in each year since the introduction of the right to buy scheme.

Stewart Maxwell: The following table provides the amount raised through the sale of council houses to sitting tenants under the right to buy and rent to mortgage schemes, and through voluntary sales.

  Total Value of Sales of Local Authority, New Town and Scottish Homes Stock

  Sitting Tenant Right to Buy, Rent to Mortgage and Voluntary Sales

  

Year
Receipts 
(£ million)
Year
Receipts 
(£ million)


1979
7.5
1993
293.2


1980
46.6
1994
316.9


1981
84.3
1995
255.0


1982
123.0
1996
197.0


1983
169.3
1997
256.7


1984
166.3
1998
214.0


1985
153.9
1999
209.0


1986
150.5
2000
224.3


1987
199.7
2001
215.2


1988
326.8
2002
272.5


1989
408.9
2003
300.8


1990
363.4
2004
256.0


1991
289.1
2005
258.1


1992
331.7
2006
232.8



  Source: Sales3 returns provided to the Scottish Executive by local authorities

  Note: The table excludes sales to sitting tenants who preserved their rights to buy their home following the transfer of stock to housing associations in Dumfries and Galloway, Glasgow and the Scottish Borders in 2003, and in Argyll and Bute and Eilean Siar in 2006. The total value of these additional sales is £102 million.

Information Technology

John Farquhar Munro (Ross, Skye and Inverness West) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will consider offering grant assistance to individuals or communities unable to access broadband to help them establish and maintain satellite broadband connections.

Jim Mather: We are considering a variety of technology-neutral options to solve remaining broadband access issues. This includes examining the use of alternative technologies such as satellite as well as different funding mechanisms such as grant assistance.

  We recently consulted with the industry and the public on these options and now intend to announce our way forward in the coming months.

Mortality

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how mortality rates per 100,000 population from (a) coronary heart disease, (b) strokes, (c) diabetes, (d) cancer, (e) smoking-related illnesses and (f) alcohol-related illnesses in the Scottish Borders compared with the Scottish average in each year since 1997.

Jim Mather: The available data are shown as follows:

  Age-standardised Mortality Rate per 100,000 Population Selected Causes of Death, Scotland and NHS Borders Area, 1997-2005

  

Cause of death
1997
1998
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005


(a) Ischaemic heart disease1
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 


Scotland
198.4
188.5
184.8
169.8
159.4
154.8
150.4
139.4
132.1


NHS Borders area
175.1
138.9
150.3
145.6
130.2
128.5
133.3
131.7
122.4


(b) Stroke2
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 


Scotland
90.5
88.7
86.4
85.3
81.7
81.9
79.0
74.0
67.9


NHS Borders area
73.0
76.1
66.4
57.4
68.9
65.0
77.9
60.1
64.3


(c) Diabetes3
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 


Scotland
7.5
8.3
9.5
8.6
9.8
9.3
9.7
10.2
9.8


NHS Borders area
7.6
7.1
7.7
7.0
6.6
8.4
9.6
4.6
6.0


(d) Cancer4
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 


Scotland
225.6
222.0
220.6
219.3
221.3
217.2
214.6
211.1
209.8


NHS Borders area
204.9
209.1
207.9
204.3
189.6
224.5
192.3
186.7
195.8


(e) The data requested are not available. There is no agreed definition of smoking-related deaths.


(f) Alcohol-related deaths5
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 


Scotland
20.2
21.5
23.5
24.2
25.7
27.3
27.4
26.4
26.7


NHS Borders area
8.2
11.7
9.0
8.0
10.9
12.0
9.6
17.5
8.6



  Notes:

  1 1997-1999 ICD9 codes 410-414, 2000-2005 ICD10 codes I20-I25.

  2 1997-1999 ICD9 codes 430-438, 2000-2005 ICD10 codes I60-I69.

  3 1997-1999 ICD9 codes 250, 2000-2005 ICD10 codes E10-E14.

  4 1997-1999 ICD9 codes 140-208, 2000-2005 ICD10 codes C00-C97.

  5 1997-1999 ICD9 codes 291, 303, 305.0, 425.5, 571.0-571.5, 571.8, 571.9, E8602000-2005 ICD10 codes F10, G31.2, G62.1, I42.6, K29.2, K70, K73, K74.0-K74.2, K74.6, K86.0, X45, X65, Y15.

Rail Services

Tom McCabe (Hamilton South) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to minimise the impact on rail travellers unable to travel between Motherwell and Edinburgh as a result of the temporary withdrawal of most of the daily services between them by GNER.

Stewart Stevenson: Transport Scotland in discussions with GNER and with assistance from First ScotRail has been able to minimise the impact for customers in relation to the morning and evening peak level of service between Motherwell and Edinburgh. The normal frequency of services has been maintained at these peak times, but with some unavoidable extension of journey times.

  Periods out with these times are covered by bus services between Motherwell and Edinburgh Waverley.

Sports Funding

George Foulkes (Lothians) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what funding is being provided to ensure that 21st century sports facilities are provided for elite athletes in the Lothians.

Stewart Maxwell: The City of Edinburgh Council has been allocated £17 million for three projects as part of the National and Regional Sports Facilities Strategy.

Sports Funding

George Foulkes (Lothians) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how it will ensure that the Lothians contribute to and benefit from the Commonwealth Games in 2014, should the Scottish bid be successful.

Stewart Maxwell: The Royal Commonwealth Pool in Edinburgh will host the diving competitions, should Glasgow’s bid to host the Commonwealth Games be successful.

  The Commonwealth Games are expected to generate 1200 jobs and increase tourism across the whole of Scotland

Sports Funding

George Foulkes (Lothians) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what funding will be made available to provide local community sporting facilities.

Stewart Maxwell: Local authorities have a statutory responsibility for ensuring that there is adequate provision of sporting facilities for their residents, and are free to determine their own capital investment programme to meet this obligation. In doing so, there are a number of resources available to them. This includes sportscotland’s "Building for Sport" programme, which is a combination of Lottery and Exchequer funds, and general support from the Scottish Government for around £300 million of capital expenditure annually (distributed across all the local authorities). Authorities are also free to undertake additional self-financed (Prudential) borrowing for capital expenditure, subject to affordability. However, we will be considering what additional investment may be made available specifically for local facility development as part of the forthcoming spending review process.

Transport

Jamie Hepburn (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how much it has spent to date on the (a) online upgrade of the A80 to motorway status and (b) Edinburgh trams project.

Stewart Stevenson: A total of £37.7 million has been spent since January 2003, when the decisions from the Central Scotland Transport Corridors Studies were announced, on the online upgrade of the A80, which includes £24.5 million for constructing Auckenkilns Interchange. A total of £64.4 million has been spent on the Edinburgh Tram project from 2002 to June 2007.

Voluntary Sector

Gil Paterson (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what monitoring and evaluation of the Project Scotland programme has been carried out.

Gil Paterson (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what steps have been taken to ensure that there are seamless youth volunteering services.

Gil Paterson (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what steps are being taken to ensure that there are seamless youth volunteering services.

Jim Mather: ProjectScotland is a company limited by guarantee and registered as a charity whose aims and objectives are to promote the welfare and relieve the needs of the population in Scotland by encouraging and assisting young people to provide their skills and services voluntarily to charitable organisations.

  ProjectScotland is in the third year of working to its three year business plan, agreed with the Scottish Executive, and we would expect to review our investment at the end of that period

Voluntary Sector

Gil Paterson (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what review has taken place of the protocol between Project Scotland and the Volunteer Centre Network.

Jim Mather: ProjectScotland is a company limited by guarantee and registered as a charity whose aims and objectives are to promote the welfare and relieve the needs of the population in Scotland by encouraging and assisting young people to provide their skills and services voluntarily to charitable organisations.

  ProjectScotland and the network of 32 Volunteer Centres have an agreement intended to ensure that volunteers have the best opportunities available for placements. This agreement is kept under review by the parties, who currently are of the view that there is potential for further improvement

Voluntary Sector

Gil Paterson (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what statistics there are showing local authority area referrals to Project Scotland.

Jim Mather: ProjectScotland is a company limited by guarantee and registered as a charity whose aims and objectives are to promote the welfare and relieve the needs of the population in Scotland by encouraging and assisting young people to provide their skills and services voluntarily to charitable organisations.

  Full information about the work of Project Scotland is available from its Chief Executive at 49 Melville Street, Edinburgh, EH3 7HL.

Water Charges

John Lamont (Roxburgh and Berwickshire) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will continue the exemption for churches from payment of water and sewerage charges beyond 2010.

Stewart Stevenson: I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-326 on 8 June 2007. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at:  http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search .